RCMP have charged a man after numerous incidents of theft from motor vehicles in Hammonds Plains.
Last evening, Tantallon RCMP received complaints from homeowners in Kingswood that someone had entered their unlocked cars and stole items.
The police investigation, with the assistance of people from the community, revealed that one man was responsible for thefts often called ‘car hopping’. Car hopping is a term that suspects use for going from car to car and looking for valuables. Police are looking for possible links to more than 60 other complaints of thefts from motor vehicle in Tantallon and Fox Point in the last month.
Matthew James Wright, 26-years-old from Fox Point, will be facing 51 Criminal Code charges including Theft under $5000, Possession of Stolen Property and Trespass at Night. He will be appearing in Halifax Provincial Court today. These charges result from thefts that occurred in Hammonds Plains and Fall River/Waverley.
‘Police and members of the public must continue to work together to reduce this type of crime.’ says Cpl. Scott MacRae, Halifax RCMP Media Relations Officer. ‘Owners have to do their part in reducing their risk of becoming victims. It is really that simple. Lock your doors and remove your valuables.’
Police want to remind the public that criminals will check car doors to see if they’re unlocked. If they find an open vehicle, they’ll rummage through and take anything of value. If they come across a locked vehicle with valuable items left in plain sight, quite often they’ll break in and take what they want. In many cases, the cost of damage to the vehicle exceeds the value of the stolen item.
If you are the victim of any crime, police encourage you to contact them. You can also call police if you see any of the following:
Suspicious vehicles
Suspicious people
Thefts including those from vehicles, your property or others
Any activity that you may determine is suspicious
Citizens can dial 911 for emergencies and if it is a non-emergency please contact us at 902-244-7208.
Source: Release